Mysterious cases of Hindu temples that will shock you

1. Mysterious cases of
Hindu temples that
will shock you

3. Historians say Hindu Temples did not exist during
the Vedic period (1500-500 BC). The ritual of idol
worship which became popular at the end of the
Vedic age may have given rise to the concept of
temples as a place of worship. The remains of the
earliest temple structure were discovered in
Afghanistan in 1951. However, the unearthing of
Hindu temples all across the world is not just
shocking but also surprising. Take a look at some
such discoveries and wonder about the roots of
Hinduism…

5. All religions are one and are derived from Vedic
Sanatana Dharma. Historian P.N. Oak claimed that the
word Vatican originally came from the Sanskrit word
"Vatika", that "Christianity" came from the Sanskrit
words "Krishna-neeti", (the way of Krishna), and that
"Abraham" came from the Sanskrit word "Brahma". He
further claims that both Christianity and Islam
originated as distortions of Vedic beliefs. Compare the
two pictures and see a striking similarity between the
shapes of a shiva linga and the vatican church
compound.

7. In these pictures take a look at the tripundra (three lines
worn by Lord Shiva as tilak). The word 'Vatican' itself is
derived from the Sanskrit word Vatika, which means
Vedic cultural or religious centers, such as Yagna-Vatika.
Such words and discoveries prove that the Vatican was a
Hindu (Vedic) religious center before its incumbent was
forced to accept Christianity from 1st century AD. Also,
according to some reports, a Shiva linga was found
during the excavation and is kept for display at a
Museum in Rome.

9. This Siva Lingam is exhibited in Gregorian
Etruscan Museum, Vatican City. It has the
most important Etruscan collection in
Rome, starting with early Iron Age objects
from the 9th century BC.

11. A visit to Cambodia is recommended or may
even be de rigueur for any Indian with an
interest in the erstwhile history of India.. There
are several hundred Hindu and Buddhist temple
ruins throughout the countryside, especially
around the town of Siem Reap near the large
lake Tonle Sap. Siem Reap is the heart of the
country. Here is where the splendid temple
Angkor Wat has stood for nearly nine hundred
years.

13. The sprawling temple spreads over a one square mile
area. Long walls with stories of Hindu mythology are
sculpted as bas-reliefs. It is a magnificent temple
complex, constructed in the form of mythological Mount
Meru - the Hindu center of the Universe. The brilliant
paint used to enhance the reliefs has faded but the
architecture and beauty are still preserved. The sheer
magnitude of the temple complex is impressive. All the
gods of the Hindu pantheon are represented in temple
sculpture. Shiva and Vishnu were held in high esteem.

15. In 1940, archaeologist M.S. Vats
discovered three Shiva Lingas at Harappa,
dating more than 5,000 years old. This
rare archival photo shows that ancient
Shiva Linga as it was being excavated from
the Harappa site.

17. A broken storage jar with inscriptions in Tamil Brahmi
script has been excavated at Quseir-al-Qadim, an
ancient port with a Roman settlement on the Red Sea
coast of Egypt. This Tamil Brahmi script has been dated
to first century B.C. The same inscription is incised
twice on the opposite sides of the jar. The inscription
reads paanai oRi, that is, pot (suspended) in a rope
net. A pottery specialist at the British Museum,
London, identified the fragmentary vessel as a storage
jar made in India.

19. A Tamil-Brahmi script inscribed on a potsherd,
which was found at the Khor Rori area in Oman,
has come to light now. The script reads “nantai
kiran” and it can be dated to first century CE, that
is, 1900 years before the present. The discovery in
the ancient city of Sumhuram has opened a new
chapter in understanding the maritime trade of the
Indian Ocean countries, according to specialists in
history.

21. Construction workers in Bali have discovered what is
thought to be the biggest ancient Hindu temple ever
found on the Indonesian island, archaeologists said.
The workers were digging a drain in the island's capital
Denpasar at a Hindu study centre when they came
across the remains of the stone temple. They reported
the discovery to the Bali archaeology office, which then
unearthed substantial foundations of a structure that
the excavation team believes dates from around the
13th to 15th centuries.

23. The ruins of an ancient building
discovered at the Indonesian Islamic
University in Yogyakarta have been
confirmed as a temple to worship the
Hindu gods Shiva and Ganesha. Linga, the
symbol for the worship of Shiva, and yoni,
a Sanskrit symbol for divine passage or
place of birth, were found in the area.

25. La Ciudad Blanca, Spanish for ‘The White
City’ is a legendary settlement said to be
located in the Mosquitia region of eastern
Honduras in Central America. Researcher
Charles Lindberg, during one of his flights
over the jungles of Mosquitia in
Hondurus, claimed caught a glimpse of
what he thought was the ‘Lost City of the
Monkey God‘ where, legend says that
local people worshipped huge ‘Monkey
Sculptures‘.

27. Theodore Morde – an American
adventurer, worked on the tip given by
Lindberg and claimed that he had finally
found the lost city in 1940. He claimed
sacrifices were made by local Indians to a
gigantic idol of an ape. However, he was
killed by a car in London before he could
announce its exact location. Morde had
originally been looking for the White City,
a hidden refuge of gods and gold first
reported by Hernan Cortez.

29. Researchers from the University of
Houston and the National Center for
Airborne Laser Mapping flew over the
Mosquitia region and revealed that there
is evidence of a plaza dotted with ancient
pyramids now reclaimed by the jungle on
the east end of Hondurus. On the western
end of Hondurus is the city of Copan – the
site of the ancient Howler Monkey God
statue. This monkey god that Westerners
are talking about can actually be related
to Lord Hanuman.

31. Ramayana’s Kishkinda Kanda descibes about
Trident of Peru, South America etc and Yuddha
Kanda (War Episode) describes about Hanuman
travelling to Paatala Loka (Central America and
Brazil, which are on other side of India in globe)
and meeting his son Makaradhwaja, who
resembles him. After killing the King of Paatala,
Hanuman makes his son Makaradhwaja as ruler of
that kingdom and he is being worshipped as God
since then.

33. This could be one of the reasons why ancient Americans of
central and south paint red color to all their gods statues.
The discovery of Vedic Havan Kund in peru is also one
more evidence of Vedic influence in this region. After his
expedition, Morder described traveling miles through
swamps, up rivers, and over mountains before coming
across ruins that he interpreted as the remains of a walled
city. He claimed to have evidence of large, ruined buildings
and said that his Paya guides told him that there once was
a temple with a large staircase leading to a statue of a
“Monkey God.”

35. Morde speculated that the deity was an
American parallel to the Hindu deity Hanuman,
who he says was the equivalent of America’s
own Paul Bunyan in his amazing feats of
strength and daring. Morde was told that the
temple had a “long, staired approach” lined
with stone effigies of monkeys. “The heart of
the Temple was a high stone dais on which was
the statue of the Monkey God himself - before
it was a place of sacrifice.”

37. Morde and Brown brought back thousands of
artifacts, most of which became part of the
collection of the Heye Foundation Museum of
the American Indian in New York City.These
included metal razors, stone blades, a flute,
stone statuary, and stone utensils. Morde and
Brown also reported having found evidence of
gold, silver, platinum, and oil and are now at
display in National Museum of the American
Indian in Washington, D.C.

39. This temple is said to have been in existence
since the days to the Ramayana. It is said that
Lord Ram prayed to Lord Shiva here after he
won against Ravana. It is a temple complex
comprising of five temples. Of these the one
dedicated to Lord Shiva is the central and the
biggest one. This temple has been destroyed
twice in the past by the Portuguese before it
was finally handed over to the Jesuits who
rebuilt it.

41. The 13th and the last Jyothirlinga was gifted to Australia in 1999 by
the then King of Nepal -- the late Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev.
Together with this was gifted 7996 hymns arranged in eight
volumes especially to be sung in praise of this deity. According to
the scriptures, construction of this lingam had to be in the southern
hemisphere which symbolised the 'mouth of the snake', the snake
being like an ornament around Lord Shiva's neck. Hence Australia
was chosen. This temple's foundation was laid on Shivratri in 1999
in Minto -- Sydney's suburb. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is
the only cave temple to have been constructed by man. Together
with the only cave temple to have been constructed by man.
Together with the 13th Jyotirlinga, the temple also houses the
replicas of the other 12 Jyotirlingas.

43. The conch and the Sudarshana Chakra are unmistakable.
Although the figures do not match popular images of Krishna
sporting a peacock feather, archaeologists are convinced that the
coins are of Krishna, revered as an avatar of Vishnu. "These
square coins, dating back to 180- BC, with Krishna on one side
and Balram on the other, were unearthed recently in Al Khanoun
in Afghanistan and are the earliest proof that Krishna was
venerated as a god, and that the worship had spread beyond the
Mathura region," says T K V Rajan, archaeologist and founder-director,
Indian Science Monitor. Having done extensive research
in Brindavan, Rajan is convinced that a lot of the spiritual history
of ancient India lies buried.

45. This shows the original and ancient Vedic
connection that the area of Kashmir has always
had. A rare granite sculpture of Goddess
Lakshmi, believed to be 1,400 years old, has
been found at Waghama village along the river
Jehlum in Anantnag district of Jammu and
Kashmir. The image is seven inches high and
4.5 inches wide and is seen as one of the most
important findings.

47. A heap of ruins where a Hindu temple of Chola
period was believed to have been buried has
been unearthed in the Northern part of Delft.
The temple is 40 feet long and 10 feet wide.
Professor P. Pushparatnam of the Jaffna
University History Department commenting on
the findings, said the people of the locality are
unable to say when this temple was built. The
ruins indicate that the building would have
been built many years ago.

49. An ancient Vishnu idol has been found during
excavation in an old village in Russia’s Volga
region, raising questions about the prevalent
view on the origin of ancient Russia. The idol
found in Staraya (old) Maina village dates back
to VII-X century AD. Staraya Maina village in
Ulyanovsk region was a highly populated city
1700 years ago, much older than Kiev, so far
believed to be the mother of all Russian cities.

51. Dr Kozhevin, who has been conducting
excavation in Staraya Maina for last seven
years, said that every single square metre of
the surroundings of the ancient town situated
on the banks of Samara, a tributary of Volga, is
studded with antiques. Prior to unearthing of
the Vishnu idol, Dr Kozhevin has already found
ancient coins, pendants, rings and fragments
of weapons. “We may consider it incredible,
but we have ground to assert that Middle-
Volga region was the original land of Ancient
Rus. This is a hypothesis, but a hypothesis,
which requires thorough research,” he said.

53. Archaeologists are excited about a circular
wooden structure found underwater at a near-shore
excavation site off the coast of Jamnagar.
Thought to be the remains of the lost city of
ancient Dwarka, the wooden structure is well
preserved and surrounded by another
structure made of stone blocks. "It is
significant as scientific dating of wood, which is
carbon, is possible. This was not the case with
evidences like stone, beads, glass and terracota
found earlier," said Alok Tripathi, Archeologist.

55. The surfacing of five ancient Siva temples
partly in sand dunes along the Pennar river in
Jyothi village in Siddhavatam mandal has led to
the discovery that as many as 108 Siva temples
have been buried under sand at the place.
Besides the rare presence of 108 Siva temples
dating back to 1213 ce, a silver chariot and a
diamond crown said to have been presented to
the Jyothi Siddhavateswara Swamy temple by
Kakatiya Rudrama Devi were present in Jyothi
village, according to inscriptions discovered.

57. Quanzhou and its surrounding area consists of
shrines or temples that according to historians
is part network of number of Hindu shrines
and temple. At present, there are no Hindus in
Quanzhou. But there previously existed a small
Hindu community in late 13th century, mostly
situated in southeastern part of China. The
inscription of bilingual Tamil and Chinese-language
has been associated with the remains
of a Shiva temple of Quanzhou. Shiva temple is
one of the two south Indian-style Hindu
temples.

59. The roots of the shrine do not lie in china but
from the south India. Most of the residents of
the village think that deity is Guanyin the
female Bodhisattva who is venerated in many
parts of China. Every morning the local
residents of the village pray, they light incense
sticks and chant prayers unlike any deity one
might find elsewhere in China. The Hindu
temple in the village collapsed 500 years ago
but as local residents had belief that they still
carry, goddess brought them good fortune,
they dug through the ruins, saved the deity
and rebuilt the temple.

60. BROUGHT TO YOU BY
J.JAYAKRISHNAN